Suction cleaner



July 22, 1947.

F. L. PIERCE 2,424,253

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Aug. 5, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet;

irren/YE y July-522, 1947. F. L. PIERCE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Aug. 5, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y. ma M Nc .F n r l Patented July 22, 1947 SUCTION CLEANER Frank L. Pierce, Ferndale, Mich., assigner to Eureka Williams Corporation, a corporation of Michigan Application August 5, 1944, Serial No. 548,255

(Cl. 18S-37) '7 Claims.

This invention relates to suction cleaners of the tank type and has particular reference to a novel and more efcient arrangement of the parts thereof.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improved construction for a suction cleaner of the tank type and particularly one in which the motor and fan unit are so constructed and arranged relative to the casing as to occupy a smaller percentage of the space in the casing than is the case in cleaners constructed in accordance with the teaching of the prior art.

Another object of the invention is to plOVde a new and improved construction for a suction cleaner of the tank type which is calculated to reduce the cost of construction of such cleaners without impairing the efhciency thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following specication taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which there are two sheets and wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevational View of a suction cleaner embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional View of the tank cleaner illustrated in Fig. l, with parts thereof omitted and other parts shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of the cleaner;

Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of the cleaner.

As illustrated in the drawings, a tank cleaner embodying the invention comprises in general a casing I0 having skids I2 and I4 by means of which the cleaner may be dragged over the door by means of a exible hose I6. The hose I6 has a coupling I8 at one end thereof which is adapted to be detachably coupled to a socket 2i! formed in the air inlet to the tank or a socket 22 forming an air exhaust from the tank.V The other end of the flexible hose is adapted to be connected to various suction cleaning tools as is well known in the art.

The tank IU may include a removable end bell 24 at the front end thereof which may be detachably secured to the body by means of toggle clamps 32, The forward end of the tank body 30 terminates in a circular opening dened by a rim 32 which forms a seat for a ring 34, and the end bell 24 is provided with an annular seat that presses the ring 34 against the seat 32. The ring 34 formsa part of the bag ring and has connected thereto a porous dirt collecting bag 35 which is arranged in the space interior of the tank body 30 at the forward end thereof.

The tank body 30 is formed by a base 48 and a hood or cover 42, The base preferably is formed from a suitable molded plastic material having the necessary properties to enable the base 4L! to withstand the use to which it is subjected. The base 4B may include the front integral skids I2 and the rear skids I4. The base 4Q is generally horizontal and at its periphery is provided with an upstanding rim 44 which forms a circumjacent seat 46 which is adapted to receive and seat the lower edge 48 o1" the shell or cover 42. Any suitable means may be employed for holding the shell 42 assembled to the base 4G. The lower edge 4B of the shell seats on the seat 46 provided by the rim 44 in such a manner as to make a good joint therewith and to effectively seal the casing against the leakage of air under the use conditions to which it is subjected.

The hood or shell 42 may be formed of sheet metal of any desired configuration so as to cooperate with the base 4! to provide a space for accommodating the bag 36 and the motor blower unit indicated generally at 50.

The motor blower unit includes a motor 52 and a blower 54 with the axis of the motor and blower arranged vertically or normal to the plane of the base member 46. The housing and scroll 56 of the blower, as well as the lower part 58 of the motor housing, preferably is formed integrally with the base member 45. The armature of the motor has its shaft 59 journaled in a lower bearing 5l! seated in a cup provided by a spider B2 which is seated in the bottom of the motor housing. The shaft 5S projects into the blower or fan chamber and has suitably secured thereto a centrifugal blower or fan wheel 64 which upon operation of the motor is adapted to draw air downwardly and axially through the motor housing and through the spider 62 and through the opening 66 formed in the lower part of the motor casing through which the shaft 59 extends.

The upper part 68 of the motor housing is seated upon the lower part and cooperates therewith to close the motor field and armature and, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the upper wall thereof is provided With a series of openings 'I covered by a removable lter 12 through which air iiows from the space inside the tank b'ody 30 into the interior of the motor housing and thence downwardly past the spider 62 and the opening 66 into the fan chamber. The air discharged by the fan is conducted by the scroll 72 to the discharge chamber 14 at the back end of the tank where such air is free to escape through the opening provided by the socket 22.

A horizontal wall I6 bridges the top of the discharge chamber so as to separate the same from the remainder of the space inside the tank. The side Walls of the discharge chamber are formed by spaced walls 13 which may be formed integrally with the base member 40 and extend rearwardly from the lower part 53 of the motor housing.

The filter 12 may be formed of any suitable filtering material, such as glass wool, and is removably seated on the top of the motor housing and around the upper bearing 88 for the upper end of the motor shaft 59 so as to reduce the possibility of dirt getting into the motor. This lter T2 may be removed through the bag opening when the end bell 24 and the bag 36 are separated from the cleaner.

The lower side of the fan chamber and the scroll 'I2 are completed by a removable metal plate Sil which is suitably secured to the underside of the base member 40.

While the invention has been described with some detail, it is to be understood that the description is for the purpose of illustration only and is not definitive of the limits of the inventive idea. The right is reserved to make such changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will fall within the purview of the attached claims.

I claim:

l. A suction cleaner of the horizontal tank type comprising a horizontally extending molded plastic base member formed to provide part of a fan chamber, at least part of a discharge outlet therefrom, and a support for a motor, said base member extending laterally of said fan chamber and motor support to form part of a bag space at one side of said motor and fan chamber, a plate secured to said base member and completing said fan chamber, a motor on said support, a fan in said fan chamber and connected to said motor to be driven thereby, a hood mounted on said base member and cooperating therewith to define surrounding walls of said bag space, said hood and base member cooperating to dene a vertical access opening to said bag space, a bag in said bag space, and a closure having an air inlet opening therein and secured to said base member and hood for enclosing said bag space, the longitudinal axis of said bag and bag space being arranged transversely of the axis of said motor and fan.

2, A suction cleaner oi the horizontal tank type comprising a molded plastic, generally flat, horizontally disposed base member formed with integral upstanding portions providing a motor support and at least a part of a fan chamber cavity, said base member extending laterally of said ian chamber to form the lower part of a bag space at one side of said fan chamber, a fan chamber member secured to said base member and cooperating with said cavity to define a fan chamber, a motor on said support and including a shaft having a fan thereon arranged in said fan chamber, a hood mounted on said base member and cooperating therewith to define at least part of the casing of the cleaner which forms surrounding walls of a bag space at one side of said motor and fan, a bag in said bag space, said fan and motor being arranged between vertical limits dened by the upper and lower walls of the bag space, said casing having an air inlet communicating With the interior of said bag, said fan chamber having an inlet communicating with said bag space and an outlet communicating with the exterior of said casing.

3. A suction cleaner of the horizontal tank type comprising a horizontally extending casing having a bag space at one end thereof with a dirt collecting bag removably arranged therein, a fan and motor unit arranged at the other end of said casing, said fan and motor unit having its axis arranged vertically and transversely of said casing and being disposed below the top of said bag space, the bottom wall of said casing being formed to denne the fan chamber cavity for said fan and the support for said motor.

4. A suction cleaner of the horizontal tank type comprising a horizontally extending casing having a dirt collecting bag removably arranged therein at one end thereof, a fan and motor unit arranged between said bag and the other end of said casing, said bag being disposed throughout substantially the same vertical extent as said fan and motor unit but at one side thereof, said fan and motor unit having its axis arranged transversely of the longitudinal axis of said casing, said fan and motor unit having an air intake communicating with the interior of said casing and an air outlet for discharging air externally of said casing, said casing having an air intake at the bag end thereof, the bottom wall of said casing being formed to dei-lne the fan chamber cavity for said fan and the support for said motor.

5. A suction cleaner of the horizontal tank type comprising a base member formed with a recess on its under side to provide the cavity of a fan chamber, and with a support on its top side for a motor, said base member extending laterally of said fan and motor support .to form the bottom wall of a bag space at one side of said motor and fan chamber, a plate covering said recess to complete said fan chamber, a motor on said support, a fan in said fan chamber and connected to said motor to be driven thereby, a hood mounted on said member and cooperating therewith to form a casing, and a bag in said casing, said bag being disposed throughout substantially the same vertical extent as said fan and motor unit but at one side thereof.

6. A suction cleaner of the horizontal tank type comprising a base member formed with a recess on its under side to provide the cavity of a fan chamber, and with a support on its top side for a motor, said base member extending laterally of said fan chamber and motor support to form the bottom wall of a bag space at one side of said motor and fan chamber, a plate covering said recess to complete said fan chamber, a motor on said support, a fan in said fan chamber and connected to said motor to be driven thereby, a hood mounted on said member and cooperating therewith to form a easing, and a bag in said casing, the axis of said motor and fan being vertically arranged, said bag being disposed throughout substantially the same vertical extent as said fan and motor unit but at one side thereof.

7. A suction cleaner of the horizontal tank type comprising a base member formed with a recess on its under side to provide part of a fan chamber, and with a support on its top side for a motor and the bottom Wall of a bag space, a plate covering said recess to complete said fan chamber, a motor on said support, a fan in said fan chamber and connected to said motor to be driven thereby, a hood mounted on said member and cooperating therewith to form a casing, and a bag in said casing, the axis of said motor and fan being arranged transversely of the longitudinal axis of said casing, said bag being disposed throughout substantially the same vertical extent as said fan and motor unit but at one side thereof.

FRANK L. PIERCE.

e f i REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,064,587 Carlstedt Dec. 15, 1936 993,985 Harker May 30, 1911 1,890,283 Eriksson-Joris Dec. 6, 1932 1,064,412 White June 10, 1913 2,155,669 Lofgren Apr. 25, 1939 2,172,180 Schellens Sept. 5, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date `27 9,858 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1928 

